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Russell Brand Sentenced To Community Service For iPhone Incident

Russell Brand has been sentenced by a New Orleans judge to perform 20 hours of community service, as well as pay a fine of $500 for a charge of throwing a photographer’s iPhone through a window.

Reuters reports that a lawyer for the British comedian and actor entered a plea of not guilty during the hearing in the New Orleans Municipal Court on the misdemeanor charge, but Brand himself did not appear in court.

Following the not guilty plea, the judge decided to order community service instead of facing criminal prosecution. As long as Russell Brand completes the 20 hours of community service, the charges against him will be dismissed.

Robert Glass, the Get Him to the Greek star’s lawyer, explained that the community service can be performed “at any charity or agency anywhere, whether it be California or England.” Another hearing date for August 31st will report on the status of Brand’s community service.

According to The Washington Post, the alleged victim was in a group of photographers that were following Brand’s car on March 12th. The police report states that Russell Brand, “highly irate” pulled over and confronted the unidentified victim. The report says:

“The victim believing that (Brand) was going to hit him in the groin grabbed for the offender’s hand and a struggle ensued with the victim receiving a small cut on his finger. The victim felt the offender pull something off his lap and suddenly realized that the offender had taken his cellphone.”

Brand then threw the iPhone at a building, breaking a window. The British comedian and actor turned himself in to police three days after the incident, where he was arrested, charged, and released on bond. If he does not complete the 20 hours of community service by his August 31st court date, then Russell Brand could face up to six months in jail for the incident.